Processing methods are known. Reference is made by way of example to the set of slides “Introduction to CCOW” from Neotool, which can be found at http://www.neotool.com/training/ccow/.
“UNIX man pages: apropos ( )” by C. Panagiotis, Man-cgi 1.15, 1994 discloses a function which searches through a set of database files, containing brief descriptions of system commands, for a keyword predefined for the function, and outputs the result.
It is known that a user on a desktop workstation uses a large number of different applications in order to perform a task which extends over more than one application. Such a workstation is referred to as a front end or client if access is made to central services or databases, which are referred to as backends or servers.
In order to be able to perform the task which extends over more than one application it is necessary to ensure that consistent data is used in all the applications. It is therefore necessary to ensure that the data items are identical and that data from the same data record is used in all the applications which are employed. In the medical area this refers to, for example, that person-related medical data of a patient, for example the date of birth or the case history, is kept in a consistent way in the various backends. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that data of the same patient is represented and processed in the front end applications. This is because errors may occur if, for example, a doctor is to diagnose a case and data of a different patient are represented in an application.
In order to ensure the consistency of data in the backend, it is necessary to perform a data reconciliation in the servers. Such a data reconciliation is usually referred to as backend integration.
In order to bring about the consistency of data in the front end, it is necessary to ensure that data of the same data record is processed in all the applications. This type of consistency is referred to as front end integration. The present invention relates only to this front end integration.
In order to process data of the same data record in all applications, what is referred to as the CCOW Standard (CCOW=clinical context object workgroup) has been defined. This Standard describes an application management system in which all the applications sign on to a central management component, which is referred to as the context manager. If a further data record is loaded into one of these applications, this application transfers unambiguous identifiers of the newly loaded data record to the context manager. The context manager is thus in a position to pass on this information to all the other signed-on applications. The applications can thus terminate the processing of the data of the data record which is being processed by them at a particular time, and load data of the new data record. However, in this method, the information about a new data record is always passed on to all the applications which are signed on at the context manager. A targeted selection of applications is not possible.
In the prior art it is also known to introduce what are referred to as extensions into individual applications. Here, each application can be inserted into a different application as an extension. The introduction of the extension brings about, for example, a menu entry or causes a button to be displayed in an operator control field. By appropriate inputting it is then possible for a user of the application to send data, in particular about a data record which is being processed by him at that time, to another application in a targeted fashion. The selection of the target application can also be automated if appropriate. For example, it is possible for an application to pass on automatically processed images for filming and archiving to a corresponding autofilming application if the application is expanded with a filming extension.
In order to interconnect all the applications to all the other applications in this concept, a very large number of extensions have to be configured. This is because the expenditure on mutual interconnection grows quadratically with the number of applications which have to be interconnected to one another.
In addition, what is referred to as an RIS system from Novius was connected to a platform software package Syngo at the RSNA 2001 in Chicago. A direct connection was formed between the two systems, that is to say Syngo and Novius exchanged data directly. Buttons were inserted into Novius from Syngo, and the user was able to activate functionalities in Syngo from Novius using these buttons. The functionality was transferred in the form of button bit maps and what is referred to as a tool tip. In this solution, only the user himself is in a position to select a specific functionality in Syngo. For the application of Novius, all the functionalities of Syngo are anonymous.